The House passed the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) on a largely party-line 232-190 vote, as expected. The chamber ultimately approved either unanimously or by lopsided bipartisan margins all 12 amendments that were allowed floor consideration. HR-1644 and Senate companion S-682 would add a new title to the Communications Act that reverses the FCC order rescinding its 2015 net neutrality rules and restores reclassification of broadband as a Communications Act Title II service.
Expected House passage of the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) is unlikely to spur the Senate to take up the bill's companion version (S-682) or to rejuvenate a fledgling working group in the chamber aimed at writing alternative legislation, lawmakers and lobbyists told us. HR-1644/S-682 would reverse the FCC order rescinding its 2015 net neutrality rules and restore reclassification of broadband as a Communications Act Title II service (see 1903060077).
The House Rules Committee appears likely to clear at least some of 17 amendments to the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill for floor consideration this week, said communications sector lobbyists and officials in interviews. A final vote on HR-1644 is expected Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.
Republicans will actively oppose the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) when it comes up for a House floor vote next week, but there's unlikely to be a repeat of the protracted amendments fight seen during the House Commerce Committee's Wednesday markup, said ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., in a Thursday interview. House Commerce cleared HR-1644 Wednesday night on a 30-22 party-line vote, as expected (see 1904030077). That followed a more than nine-hour, sometimes-heated debate and series of votes on 15 amendments, including 13 sought by Republicans.
The House Commerce Committee continued considering the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) through Wednesday afternoon, after spending hours debating and voting on a litany of Republican-led amendments that Democrats claimed were mainly aimed at stonewalling advancement of the measure. The committee was expected to have ultimately advanced HR-1644 on a party-line vote. It still needed to handle many amendments and the measure's underlying text. HR-1644 and Senate companion S-682 would add a new title to the Communications Act that reverses the FCC order, rescinding its 2015 rules. The bill would restore reclassification of broadband as a Communications Act Title II service (see 1903060077).
A Wednesday House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee hearing on the FCC's fiscal year 2020 budget request is likely to provide a first glimpse at whether House Democrats live up to expectations they'll do more critical oversight hearings on the agency under their regained majority of the chamber (see 1811140055), lobbyists told us. The Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee paid only limited attention to NTIA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Patent and Trademark Office during Tuesday's hearing on the Commerce Department's FY 2020 budget request.
House Commerce Committee Republicans are likely to file “several” amendments to the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill for consideration at the committee's Wednesday markup but see virtually no chance to defeat the bill outright given prospects for uniform support from panel Democrats, said ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., in an interview. HR-1644 and Senate companion S-682 would add a new title to the Communications Act that reverses the FCC order rescinding its 2015 rules. The bill retroactively would restore reclassification of broadband as a Communications Act Title II service (see 1903060077).
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Medford Mayor Stephanie Muccini Burke (D) and other state-level stakeholders spoke out Monday against an FCC Further NPRM that would treat cable operators' in-kind contributions required by local franchise authorities as franchise fees and subject to a cap (see 1809250017). Markey and the others argued during a news conference the FNPRM's LFA provisions would cause problems for municipalities, which are currently permitted to use cable franchise agreements to require cable operators to set aside channels for public, educational or governmental channels. The proposal would force local governments “to decide between supporting local PEG channels and supporting other critical institutions serving the public good like schools and public safety buildings,” Markey said. He referred to the dilemma as a “Sophie's choice” situation, which is “just not right.” Markey and other Senate Democrats wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in October about the issue (see 1810300049). Two Democrats in Massachusetts' House delegation -- Katherine Clark and Ayanna Pressley -- also wrote Pai to raise concerns. Pai noted in responses to both posted Monday that the FCC “observed that Congress broadly defined franchise fees; indeed, with respect to PEG channels, it only excluded support payments with respect to franchises granted prior to October 30, 1984 as well as capital costs required by franchises granted after that date.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is considering ways to advance his Secure 5G and Beyond Act (S-893), including plans to meet with Rivada, which favors the U.S. government making spectrum being reserved for 5G available to carriers on wholesale. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign commented in favor of such an approach earlier this year but later walked back amid perceptions it was in conflict with the White House's existing 5G policy (see 1903040058). The Senate Commerce Committee is moving to quickly advance the Eliminate From Regulators Opportunities to Nationalize the Internet in Every Respect (E-Frontier) Act (S-918), which Sens. Ted Cruz. R-Texas, and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., refiled Wednesday, as expected (see 1903050069).
House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., and Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., separately insisted they're actively pursuing their Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (Airwaves) Act. Filed last Congress, it aims to identify spectrum for unlicensed use and free up mid-band spectrum for wireless industry purchase via an FCC auction (see 1802070054). Some expected refiling this month, but New Street Research contends reintroduction now appears indefinitely delayed (see 1903120083). “We're just trying to get [the Airwaves Act] perfected,” Gardner told us. “We've got some final negotiations to go through before we get it introduced,” but “we're making good progress.” Reintroduction of the Airwaves Act remains a priority, but the push for House passage of the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644) took precedence recently, Doyle told reporters. The 35-day partial government shutdown that ended in January also delayed some telecom policy priorities, including FCC oversight plans (see 1903270045), Doyle said. “We're playing catch-up,” but “we're talking.”